Hospital corners and other domestic madness
30 May 2011
I am particularly partial to a well made bed. In fact, some might say obsessed. I love a good cotton blanket, proper pillow and have been having an ongoing love affair with my latex (oo er) mattress now for many years. I would have clean, ironed sheets and pillow cases every day of the year, if I could keep up with the laundry or have enough money to pay someone who would do them for me to my exacting specifications.
Lovely, well made bed, how I love thee
For those who believe a doona pulled up over a flat sheet is making the bed, don’t keep reading, you’ll only get cross and go off in a huff muttering about wasting time and fussiness.
I am occasionally, using occasional, in the sense of every time it is raised, given hard time about this; especially in the twittersphere. My love of the hospital corner, absolutely essential to be well made bed, ellicits snorts of derision and mirthful teasing pours out whenever I talk about my predilection. I make the bed everyday. In fact, I make them all. Even the toddlers’ cot – which he will reoccupy at least once before nightfall. I get completely overexcited at the sight of a Moss River sheet shop and have been known to remake an unsatisfactorily made bed (sorry Robert). My brother, when he was left in charge of making the bed ready for when I got out of hospital after having Benedict, went into an instant decline and was seriously stressed. He did a fine job. He performs well under pressure.
I also like a tidy linen cupboard and a neatly (NEATLY) folded fitted sheet. It took me nearly two years to teach my beloved how to fold a fitted sheet, but we got there in the end. I never gave up hope that he was capable of mastery over a 210 cm square piece of cloth edged with elastic. Eventually, he cracked it. It was a happy happy day in our household.
When I became a mother, I abandoned a lot of my previous dearly held housework ‘musts’ – must do the dishes before leaving the house, must take the rubbish out every night, must etc etc etc but I didn’t ever even consider relaxing the ‘must make the bed’. When all is chaos and the world is closing in and there are tears and poo and life is awful, I walk into my room. There the bed neatly sits. Waiting for me. Ready at a moments notice to receive me in its lovely cool neatness. It is instantly soothing to see it ready, waiting and inviting.
PS – if you’ve reached the point in your life when you must have hospital corners and neatness but don’t know where to start, what are you doing here?
Mar 10, 2013 @ 18:51:32
I’m sorry for all the naysayers… A hospital corner has a reason, you have ultimate temperature control without pulling the bed all to pieces whilst trying to move the topsheet. You can tuck a sick child in tightly enough so they feel secure, (or yourself!), and you can easily push the sheet all the way down, without losing it onto the floor, or making those little spider highways…crucial in a hot climate like Australia and India, where the wildlife just mosey on into bed with you, given half a chance.
You can lose the Doona down to the bottom, if too hot, whilst still remaining covered against drafts…especially important for the very young, very old, or sick. That’s why it’s used in hospitals.
A well made bed is Heaven on Earth… my mother taught me this way from the age of five,and I didn’t know there WAS another way until my teens, when I was horrified to see a friend just tuck all the way round, higgldey piggledy. I freaked! Then taught her the hospital corner, and she never looked back.
Go You!
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Jun 04, 2011 @ 17:25:52
You can fold a fitted sheet?
Jun 04, 2011 @ 18:04:55
Oh course! I can teach you … it will take less than two years.
:)
May 31, 2011 @ 22:41:34
I’m with you. I will not leave the house without making everyone’s bed, including the cot. To me, an unmade bed leaves too much temptation for one to have a sneaky lie down before nightfall.
My one concession is that I no longer iron pillowslips. I no longer iron anything. Thanks, baby no.3.
Your bed sounds divine!
Jun 01, 2011 @ 09:15:45
Fantastic! Good to hear that I am not alone. :)
Mind you, making the bed doesn’t stop me from having a snooze in it during the day. I make it again, of course.
May 31, 2011 @ 15:23:03
I’m with you, Mac! The second you dive into bed, whether alone, or if you’ve got lucky, the sheets are scrunched, anyway…… ;-)
May 30, 2011 @ 19:58:42
Good grief! Life is too short for cheap wine, instant coffee and hospital corners. I do like my bed to have fresh linen, and be tidy, but I am one of those horrid people who thinks straightening the doona is making the bed.
Maybe you need to pop over to Desktops & Dust Bunnies and teach the rest of us how to be true domestic goddesses :P
xx
May 30, 2011 @ 20:27:26
Desktops & Dust Bunnies has, no doubt, got a lot to teach me about labour saving ideas and relaxation techniques :)
But you can come and stay anytime and we will drink good wine and you can sleep in a lovely well made bed. xo